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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476147">Vs. Hero Killer (1)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catheeso/pseuds/Catheeso'>Catheeso</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>BNHA AU [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>CJMind, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bre’s sibling gets impaled oops, Did I Write Miruko Correct Or Am I Dummy, Gen, LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO, Stain’s An Asshole, Vs. Hero Killer Arc, no you will not get answers, ofa: still a mystery, oh boy, shit gets real last chapter, w a i t</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:46:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,872</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catheeso/pseuds/Catheeso</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Creating hero names and picking internships! Bre’s acting strangely...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>BNHA AU [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883536</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Crowds Make Me Nervous</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The walk to school is more eventful than he expected. Usually, it’s boring but also a good opportunity to listen to the music he can’t blast when he’s home with his mom. </p>
<p>It’s the same routine every day; get ready for school, walk out the door, and immediately plug his earbuds in so he can jam on the way to school. Sometimes he also scrolls through memes on his phone and a lot of the time he talks to Jaiden, but it’s not <em>eventful</em>.</p>
<p>Today, however, was different. He did everything he normally did and even texted Jaiden more than normal (she was ecstatic about the Sports Festival, watched the entire thing), carrying his umbrella as it rained. It was safe to say that he did not expect to be waiting to walk across a crosswalk and get surprised by a fan.</p>
<p>A finger tapped him on the shoulder as he watched the blinking red light, waiting for it to turn green. He frowned and took out his earbud, turning around. Instead of some teenager asking him to turn the volume down, it was a middle-aged woman with a toddler on her hip.</p>
<p>“You’re Carter Laffitte from the hero course, right?” She asked.</p>
<p>“Um,” Carter said, looking around. “Yeah, I am.”</p>
<p>“Great job at the Sports Festival! You were so close to winning!” She beamed. The toddler on her hips babbled at him, chewing on their finger. He blinked in surprise.</p>
<p>“You did great, kid!” Somebody else said, giving him a thumbs up. “I’m cheering for you next year!”</p>
<p>“Second place was amazing!” A middle schooler cheered. Carter stammered and flushed, unsure of how to respond.</p>
<p>He was being complimented? By random strangers? Carter.exe has stopped working.</p>
<p>The crowd that had gathered around him to congratulate him started to move forward and he jumped, realizing the red light was now green. Carter jogged up to the front of the group, still mentally processing the interactions.</p>
<p>Wow, people actually like him. People had wanted him to win. That wasn’t what he expected. He put his earbud back in, heart hammering, speeding up his walking. He was going to be early for class anyway, might as well hurry. </p>
<p>It was foreign to him to think that not only people were watching and cheering for him, but they wanted him to <em>win</em>. They saw his quirk, they saw his actions, and they still cheered for him.</p>
<p>Of course, so did his friends, but these were random strangers. He skipped in a step to the beat of the music, feeling a smile grow on his face. People liked him! That was a first! </p>
<p>So caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Bre appear behind him until she was smacking him upside the head.</p>
<p>He yelped and took out his earbud. “What the hell?”</p>
<p>“I called your name like five times!” Bre said, smirking. </p>
<p>He glared but softened a little as he saw something in her eyes. Her smirk seemed strained. Was something wrong?</p>
<p>“Did something happen?” He asked.</p>
<p>Bre’s half-assed smirk dropped and she looked at the ground, walking slowly next to him. He dropped his pace so she wouldn’t fall behind.</p>
<p>“Do you know the hero killer?” She asked.</p>
<p>“Um yeah, Stain, right?” He said. “He kills who he believes to be fake heroes.”</p>
<p>Bre’s frown turned into a grimace, “he attacked my sibling yesterday.”</p>
<p>Carter felt his heart leap up into his throat. Oh god. Anaya...</p>
<p>“Are they okay?” He choked out.</p>
<p>“Anaya’s fine,” Bre replied, shifting her grip on her backpack, not looking up. “But...they’re paralyzed. They- they can’t continue hero work.”</p>
<p>Oh no. Poor Anaya. Paralyzed? He remembered the shine in Bre’s eyes when she talked about her older sibling. It was obvious she admired Anaya greatly, no matter how much Carter and Kali teased her. And now...</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” He asked. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Bre said softly, picking up speed. “C’mon, I just wanna get to school.”</p>
<p>“Bre-“ he said, speeding up as well- “Bre, it’s okay to not be okay.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, well I’m not the one who got hurt, am I?” Bre snapped. “I didn’t even win the Sports Festival.”</p>
<p>“What Stain did wasn’t your fault,” he protested. </p>
<p>Bre sighed. “I know. I just- let’s just change the subject, okay?”</p>
<p>Carter frowned. Bre was very obviously not okay. But the question was did he push this? Forcing her to talk about her feelings when she didn’t want to could strain their friendship but if she bottled everything up she could end up distressed and possibly do something incredibly stupid. He should trust her, though.</p>
<p>“Okay...” he said reluctantly. What did he talk about? “How is your cat, Oreo?”</p>
<p>Bre snorted, “you’re terrible at conversations.”</p>
<p>“Hey!” Carter gasped. “Am not!”</p>
<p>“Are too!” Bre elbowed him. “You’re terrible.”</p>
<p>They put their umbrellas away as they entered the building, still bickering. Bre seemed to cheer up a little at his (admittedly exaggerated) protests. The classroom was bustling with energy as they entered, kids talking about getting recognized on their walk/drive to school. </p>
<p>He sat down in his seat and smiled, watching his classmates interact. He was still worried about Bre, but his classmate's energy was infectious. </p>
<p>“Getting recognized by a third-grader was the weirdest experience I’ve ever had,” Lily giggled.</p>
<p>“Some old man came up and talked to me on the metro,” Carmen said. “If that’s not weird, I don’t know what is.”</p>
<p>“An old classmate came up and said hi,” Kacey mused. “It was incredibly awkward.”</p>
<p>“I’d imagine,” Owen laughed. “The day I see any of my old classmates is the day that I wanna die.”</p>
<p>The door opened and Aizawa walked inside, face free of bandages. The room immediately quieted down. Carter was honestly impressed with how fast they were sitting at their desks, ready for school.</p>
<p>“Morning,” Aizawa grumbled.</p>
<p>“Your bandages are off, sensei!” Connor said. </p>
<p>“I wish I could say the same for Carter,” Kimi snickered.</p>
<p>“Wha- hey!” Carter exclaimed.</p>
<p>“Quiet,” Aizawa said sternly, kicking the side of the podium. “The old lady’s treatment was excessive. But never mind that, today we’ve got a hero informatics class. And a special one at that.”</p>
<p>Please don’t be a test, please don’t be a test, please don’t be a test, <em>please</em> don’t be a fucking test-</p>
<p>“You’ll be coming up with your hero aliases.”</p>
<p>Oh, thank fucking god. The class cheered and he took that moment to breathe, the thorn bush releasing its grip on his chest. </p>
<p>“But first...concerning the pro draft picks I mentioned the other day. It’s based on who the pros think will be ready to join the hero workforce after another two or three years of experience. So you could say it’s a way for them to show interest in your futures. </p>
<p>“But there’s ample time for their interest to wane before you graduate. And any and all offers can be arbitrarily revoked. It happens quite often.”</p>
<p>Damn, fuck adults. Wait. Don’t fuck adults. Carter blinked and tried to focus back on Aizawa’s speech.</p>
<p>“So if we’re picked now, that just means there’ll be higher hurdles in the years to come,” Peter said.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Aizawa confirmed. “Now, here’re the complete draft pick numbers.”</p>
<p>A screen flashed on the blackboard and Carter leaned forward. Destiny had the most by, oh wow, a <em>lot</em>. Bre was next, followed by Lara, then him, then Owen, then Kali, and so on. </p>
<p>More than half of his class didn’t even have offers. Wow, that sucked.</p>
<p>“Wait, why does Bre and Lara have more offers than Carter? Carter came in second!” Ethan asked.</p>
<p>“Maybe they saw how crappy his quirk was and decided he wasn’t worth it,” Amelia said flatly. Carter bristled and rolled his eyes. </p>
<p>“Personally,” he said through gritted teeth, ignoring Amelia’s comment, “I think Kali should have a lot more.”</p>
<p>“Man, there go my chances of getting hand-picked by an amazing hero,” Connor whined. </p>
<p>“Connor, I don’t think you had those chances to begin with,” Liam snickered.</p>
<p>“Wow, that’s a lot of offers,” Ava laughed nervously, looking at her own name. </p>
<p>“With that settled,” Aizawa continued, “Whether you were picked or not, you will have a chance to work alongside the pros. It’s true that you have already experienced more than most, but seeing the pros in action and taking part yourselves will still be worthwhile training.”</p>
<p>“That’s where our hero names come in!” Lily shouted excitedly. </p>
<p>“God, that’s kinda exciting, actually,” Cyrus said.</p>
<p>“They’re only tentative, but you still wanna pick something appropriate-“</p>
<p>The door slammed open and Midnight walked in. “Or else you’ll know true hell!!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Our Hero Names Are Surprisingly Okay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Picking hero names! Some are worse than others but they’re still good.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>warning: i am not creative</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Carter had never given much thought to his hero name. After all, he wasn’t even planning to be a hero so why would he try to pick out a hero name? But not planning ahead of time always somehow screwed him over. Example: right now. He had fifteen minutes to come up with a fitting hero name when he had never even considered being a hero beforehand.</p>
<p>So, basically, Carter was low-key dying. He watched out of the corner of his eye as his classmates scribbled down their hero names and rubbed the back of his neck. How the hell does he come up with a hero name on the spot? </p>
<p>He should’ve gone over this with his mom when they were making his hero outfit. They hadn’t thought of this at the time, all focused on making the best possible hero outfit. </p>
<p>Midnight’s words echoed in his ears as his hand holding the marker twitched.</p>
<p>“The name you pick now may be what the world ends up calling you,” she had said. That meant if he chose a sucky hero name right now, he might not be able to change it later. </p>
<p>How does he think of a hero name? Does it come naturally? Does he have to put in effort? Does it have to be related to his quirk? How the fuck does he come up with a hero name.</p>
<p>There should be a guide. How To Make a Hero Name: For Dummies. This was all too complicated. Or maybe he was overthinking it. </p>
<p>He risked a glance up at the clock. Seven minutes. Okay, he needs to think.</p>
<p>His quirk is called Glitch so his name can’t just be Glitch, that would be unoriginal. Think of glitch-like stuff. Um, Blue Screen. Shutdown. Pixel. Think of what his quirk does. Teleport. Explode. </p>
<p>He resisted the urge to bang his head on the desk. Ugh, this is why he never wanted to be a hero. Why didn’t he transfer to General when he had the chance?</p>
<p>Because you’re an idiot, his mind supplied. His mind was absolutely right. </p>
<p>Okay, okay, just think.</p>
<p>Blue Screen. Too generic, doesn’t really fit him. Plus, his main colour is red, not blue. </p>
<p>Shutdown. It’s good, but just not him. Doesn’t really fit his quirk.</p>
<p>Blackout? No, that makes it seem like he has a light related quirk. It would be fine for Lily or Peter, though. </p>
<p>Pixel. Pixels? He shakes his head. No, that’s just not him. It’s weird, the names feel like puzzle pieces that just don’t fit.</p>
<p>Unstable? That kinda sounds like a villain name, no thanks. Plus, the unstableness is a <em>bad</em> thing. </p>
<p>Virus. Like a computer virus. That causes glitches, right?</p>
<p>He blinked and wrote the name down.</p>
<p>The glitching hero: Virus. </p>
<p>That’s...not so bad, actually. He kinda likes it. A weight was lifted off his shoulders. Not the best, but he likes it. </p>
<p>“Let’s finish up,” Aizawa said. </p>
<p>“We can start with whoever’s ready!” Midnight shouted. Aizawa glared at her for raising her voice.</p>
<p>“Wait, we’re presenting these?” He asked.</p>
<p>“Yep! After all, you’re showing these to the entire world, correct?”</p>
<p>That makes sense, he guessed. He bit the inside of his cheek as he saw Liam stand up and walk to the front of the classroom, his whiteboard clutched under his arm. </p>
<p>Liam took a steadying breath before showing his whiteboard to the entire class. “The electric hero: Spark Shot!” </p>
<p>The class remained silent, looking over the name before Ethan whooped and started clapping. Carter found himself clapping with the rest of the class, it <em>was</em> a good name. </p>
<p>“See, that’s how it’s done!” Midnight said, giving a thumbs up. Liam beamed and sat back down.</p>
<p>Ethan got up next and walked to the front, his head held high.</p>
<p>“The surfing hero: Water Wave!”</p>
<p>Okay, that was kinda not the best, but not the worst. Midnight obviously thought this too as she simply nodded and clapped.</p>
<p>Soon, everyone was getting the confidence to present their names.</p>
<p>“The bright hero: Flashbang!” Lily said.</p>
<p>“Very flashy!” Midnight cheered.</p>
<p>“The shapeshifting hero: Transformi,” Ava smiled. </p>
<p>“Ooo, I like it!”</p>
<p>Owen. “The wooden hero: Branch Whip!” </p>
<p>Destiny. “The ice hero: Frostbitten.”</p>
<p>Kacey. “The strength hero: Prowess.”</p>
<p>Carmen. “The transforming hero: Conversion!”</p>
<p>Kimi. “The stinging hero: Snake Stinger!”</p>
<p>Charlie. “The flaming hero: Hellfire!”</p>
<p>Lara. “The airy hero: Angel.”</p>
<p>Connor. “The robot hero: Robo.”</p>
<p>Kali. “The corrosive hero: Blacktouch.”</p>
<p>Cyrus. “The invisible hero: Recluse.”</p>
<p>Peter. “The shadow hero: Nightwhisper.”</p>
<p>Amelia. “The unknown hero: Moonslayer.”</p>
<p>“Isn’t that a little violent?” Midnight frowned.</p>
<p>“You let Peter name himself Nightwhisper. I don’t see how Moonslayer is any worse,” Amelia retorted. Midnight kept her frown but said nothing else.</p>
<p>Carter went up next. What if they didn’t like it? What if they thought it was dumb? Having a dumb hero name is, like, the number one way to be unpopular. Not that he wants to be popular.</p>
<p>“The glitching hero: Virus,” he said shakily, trying to hide how badly his hands were shaking.</p>
<p>“Virus?” Midnight raised an eyebrow. Oh god, she hated it. Oh no- “I like it! Creative!”</p>
<p>He smiled and nodded as the class clapped, Destiny clapping a little louder than everybody else. They liked it! </p>
<p>He felt his breaths come easier as he sat back down. Carter looked around the room. The only person who hadn’t presented was Bre, who was frowning at her whiteboard. Eventually, she sighed and walked up to the front.</p>
<p>“Clements” was the only thing written on it. That’s...odd. </p>
<p>“Are you sure you want just your name?” Midnight asked, not unkindly.</p>
<p>“I’m sure,” Bre said firmly, sitting back down at her seat. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Midnight trailed off, “well those were all fantastic names!”</p>
<p>“Your internships start in a week,” Aizawa said. “For this all-important decision, I’ll be handing out personalized lists for those who were drafted.” </p>
<p>He went around the room and handed out a bunch of lists. Carter pursed his lips as he studied his list. How does he choose one person to intern under? </p>
<p>“You may choose among those who scouted you. For those of you who were not drafted, the list I just passed out contains forty agencies from all over the country willing to accept interns. You will choose one from that list.</p>
<p>“Each has a different specialty and region. Give your choice some real thought. Submit your choices by this coming weekend.”</p>
<p>Two days to pick someone to intern under. Okay, he’s got this. He can do this. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Internships and Foreshadowing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>No, I do not simp for Miruko, why would you ever think that? Hahaha</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kimi shuffled through a couple of different papers idly, the list they were given listed on them. </p><p>“Having a hard time deciding?” Carter asked, his own list in his hands. He didn’t have nearly as much as Destiny had to sift through or even Bre, but there were still over one hundred offers. Kimi had around eighty offers. </p><p>“Personally, I’m stuck between Endeavor and Edgeshot,” Kimi said, holding up one of their papers with both Endeavor’s and Edgeshot’s names highlighted. </p><p>“Endeavor?” Kali asked, sitting down next to them. They were hanging out in the classroom in an off period. A lot of their classmates were here with them, but some weren’t. “Yeesh, I’d stay away from him if I were you.”</p><p>“Why? What’s wrong with Endeavor?”</p><p>“Um, everything?” Carter said. “He’s like, the biggest dick on the planet.”</p><p>“More than Monoma?” Kimi raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“Imagine Monoma but with a fire quirk and one hundred times worse,” Carter explained.</p><p>Kimi gave an exaggerated shudder and crossed Endeavor’s name off the list. “Well, I guess that leaves me with Edgeshot. Who’d you pick, Kali?”</p><p>“I got an offer from Nighteye,” Kali said. “I’m gonna take it.”</p><p>“Isn’t Nighteye All Might’s old sidekick?” Carter asked.</p><p>“Yeah, but he also has a cool quirk. He mostly focuses on hand-to-hand combat, so that’ll be great for me. What about you?”</p><p>Carter looked down at his list to a circled name. It had stood out amongst the rest, but he was still a little unsure about it.</p><p>“I think.” Carter bit his lip, hesitating for a moment. “I think I’m gonna intern under Miruko. She offered and I don’t see why I should say no.”</p><p>“Miruko?” Kimi repeated. “Fucking Miruko? Dude, she’s going to fucking kill you.”</p><p>“Rest in peace, Carter,” Kali said flatly, “you won’t be missed.”</p><p>“Wha- guys!” He whined. “What do you have against Miruko?!”</p><p>“Nothing, dude, we’re just saying that <em>you’re</em> gonna die. She’s all brash and bold and other synonyms I can’t think of right now. She could make a villain pee their pants by looking at them. A villain takes one look at you and they automatically think that they would be able to punt you across a football field,” Kimi snickered.</p><p>“And they’re absolutely right,” Kali added. </p><p>“Nobody’s punting me across a football field!” He nearly shrieked. </p><p>“Carter, <em>I</em> could punt you across a football field. You and all your five-foot-one glory,” Kali said.</p><p>“Unfriended. Blocked. Disowned. I hate all of you.” </p><p>“Why are you guys bullying CJ without me?” Bre asked, walking up to them with Destiny close behind.</p><p>“Carter, who has panic attacks at the thought of talking to people, wants to intern under Miruko,” Kali said. </p><p>“Miruko? Are you serious?” Bre asked, stifling a laugh behind her hand. Hey, at least she was stifling her laugh. “She’d punt him across a football field!”</p><p>“Why does everybody keep saying that?!” He shouted, slamming his head onto the desk.</p><p>“I don’t think it helps that we don’t know your reasoning, CJ,” Destiny said sympathetically, patting him on the shoulder. </p><p>“Well, who are you interning under?” Carter asked.</p><p>“Ryukyu,” Destiny said. “She offered and I decided why not?”</p><p>Four eyes turned to Bre. She visibly put up a wall. “Manual.”</p><p>“Manual?” Kimi echoed. “Why him?”</p><p>Bre shrugged noncommittally.</p><p>“Well, <em>CJ</em>?” Kali prompted. “You gonna tell us why you think you wanna intern under Miruko?”</p><p>“First of all, since you guys think I shouldn’t, I’m absolutely gonna intern under Miruko. Second of all-“ he stuffed his face into his folded arms- “I think she’ll teach me to be more confident.”</p><p>“We can’t hear you, Carter, you’re mumbling,” Kimi said.</p><p>He raised his head, “I said that interning under her might help me become more confident. Plus, the way she fights up close is similar to the way I fight.”</p><p>“That isn’t the worst reason,” Destiny said. </p><p>“Could be worse,” Kimi agreed.</p><p>“She’s still probably gonna hit you at one point,” Kali smirked.</p><p>“Wow, thanks for supporting me, Kali,” Carter scowled, throwing his pencil at her. She caught it with her hand, not looking up from the form Aizawa had given them.</p><p>“Who are you gonna chose are your second and third choices?” Destiny asked. “I’m choosing Mt. Lady as my second choice.”</p><p>“Probably some big-shot agencies,” Carter said. “Maybe Shishido?”</p><p>“Best Jeanist wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world,” Kimi said. “Hopefully.”</p><p>“Y’know, I heard that Lara is interning under Hawks,” Kali mused. </p><p>“Hawks? Isn’t he the number three hero?” Destiny tilted her head.</p><p>“Yeah, and he’s, like, super young,” Carter frowned.</p><p>“He can’t be <em>that</em> young if he has his own agency and is number three,” Kimi pointed out.</p><p>“He’s twenty-two,” Kali said. Carter’s jaw dropped. Twenty-two? Seriously? And he has his own agency?</p><p>“He made number ten at eighteen,” Bre muttered, “so it’s not that surprising.”</p><p>“Right!” Destiny snapped her fingers. “His whole schtick was being super fast! I remember that!”</p><p>Carter whistled, “and Lara’s interning under him? Good for her.” </p><p>It was good for her. Both Hawks and Miruko were fairly young and high up in the listing, Miruko being number seven. Just the fact that he had been even considered by Miruko made him slightly excited, but she had actually offered him a spot for him to intern. </p><p>Honestly, he had been dreading the internship. He could only assume it was all paperwork, no actual fighting, but interning under Miruko should prove that different.</p><p>She was known for her boldness, there was no way she would make him sit around and do paperwork all day. Maybe. The idea of doing paperwork his entire internship while he was interning under mother fucking <em>Miruko</em> might give him the push to just drop out of the hero course altogether.</p><p>He glanced up at Bre, who was staring distantly at the paper in her hands. Before, when they had talked about who they wanted to intern under, she had told him that she would want to intern under Kamui. Now, she wants to intern under Manual? </p><p>Something’s not right with Bre, but he doesn’t know what.</p><p>Hopefully, she doesn’t do anything stupid.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Miruko’s Attempts To Get Me Arrested</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>She does kick my ass but in a friendly mentor-like way.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Take this how you want,” Carter said, “but I thought you would be <em>taller</em>.”</p>
<p>Miruko laughed and slapped him on the back, making him stumble a little bit. “You have spunk, kid! I like it!”</p>
<p>“Isn’t that the reason you chose me?” He asked, tilting his head. Miruko shrugged and shot him a wink, walking away from the park she had told him to meet her at. He blinked and followed her. She didn’t work for any agencies, unlike Hawks or literally every other hero, and it was (supposedly) the first time she had picked up an intern.</p>
<p>Mostly, he wondered, why him? Surely there were better hero course students for her to offer her expertise to? He frowned, walking faster as to not be left behind.</p>
<p>“First lesson: stop doubting yourself,” Miruko announced. Carter wanted to shrink into himself when he saw all the people staring at them. He was already recognizable thanks to the Sports Festival and Miruko wasn’t making any effort to be subtle. “I can hear you overthinking from all the way up here!”</p>
<p>“You can’t be saying that when you’re only an inch taller than me,” he said dryly. “Give me a couple of years and I’ll be taller than you.”</p>
<p>Miruko laughed again and slapped him on the arm this time. He rubbed his arm, because ouch. </p>
<p>“Stop doubting myself?” He echoed.</p>
<p>Miruko nodded. “Doubting yourself and your actions will get you nowhere in this job. You can’t hesitate during a villain fight because you’re worried about hurting them. You gotta attack when you need to, no reluctance.”</p>
<p>“Hesitating is how you get yourself killed as a pro,” Carter nodded. </p>
<p>Miruko grinned at him, leading him into an alleyway. Okay, he thought to himself, I’m about to be murdered by the number seven hero. Well, it was nice being alive.</p>
<p>“Show me how you punch,” Miruko challenged. She was still in her hero outfit and had been this entire time, but it seemed more noticeable in this shady alleyway that reeked of trash and had dirt covering the alley walls. Is this how villains feel?</p>
<p>“Um, no offense Miruko-sensei, but should we really be doing this in a dusty alleyway? I want to sneeze just looking at this place.” </p>
<p>“Would you rather be doing this out on the street?”</p>
<p>“Not really, no. I have a feeling that you’re gonna use this as an opportunity to kick my ass.”</p>
<p>Miruko gave him a shark grin, different from the friendly grin she had given him earlier, and he felt all hope wash down the drain.</p>
<p><em>She’s going to punt me across a football field</em>, he thought. </p>
<p>“Please don’t punt me,” he said out loud, for good measure. Miruko raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. </p>
<p>With that out of the way, he threw his first punch.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>He was getting <em>really</em> tired of tasting concrete. He stifled a groan as he pushed himself up, his muscles aching. </p>
<p>Miruko had followed through on her nonverbal promise not to punt him onto oncoming traffic, but that didn’t mean getting kicked in the face hurt any less. Carter hoped he didn’t have any fur in his mouth. That would be weird.</p>
<p>They had migrated further into the alleyway into a more open spot after he had teleported straight into a wall. It was well beyond dusk, probably around eight at night. </p>
<p>Ugh, he’s gonna be so sore tomorrow. </p>
<p>“C’mon, get up, squirt,” Miruko said, nudging him with her rabbit foot. He scowled at the ground, slightly insulted by the nickname she had started calling him. </p>
<p>He pushed himself up and took Miruko’s offered hand. “I think I might have broken something.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s my will to live.”</p>
<p>Miruko snorted and patted him on the head. She picked up his messenger bag which had been discarded earlier on, handing it to him and walking out of the dingy alleyway.</p>
<p>“That’s enough for today,” she said as he jogged to catch up. “Can’t have you passing out on me, yet.”</p>
<p>“Yet? That’s ominous, sensei.” </p>
<p>She led him to a nice looking apartment building. It was easily taller than his, it going up around six stories. She ducked into an alleyway that was way cleaner than the one she fought him in, jumping up and bouncing off the alleyway walls. She settled on a fire escape leading to story number four, looking down at him expectantly.</p>
<p>He frowned but teleported up anyways. Miruko didn’t wait for him, opening a window and hopping in through. Heh, hopping. </p>
<p>Carter carefully slid his way in. Closing the window behind him, he took a moment to admire her apartment. It was nicer than his, definitely. It was recently cleaned, too. Her TV looked like it was more expensive than him. </p>
<p>At least, he thought it was her TV. Was this her apartment? He hoped so.</p>
<p>“Please don’t tell me this is all some elaborate scheme to get me arrested for breaking and entering,” he said, looking curiously at the trophies on the wall. </p>
<p>“You ask the weirdest things,” Miruko told him, her voice slightly muffled like she was far away. He turned around and saw her opening her fridge in the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Are you not gonna change?” He asked. He took the opportunity to set the case with his hero outfit down. It was surprisingly heavy. “Being in your hero outfit all day must be uncomfortable.”</p>
<p>“You get used to it,” Miruko shrugged, putting two cartons of sushi on the dinner table. That must be dinner. For extra effect, his stomach growled loudly. Sushi doesn’t sound too bad. </p>
<p>“Eat up, squirt. We’ll have a full day of training tomorrow.”</p>
<p>He took a seat at the two-person dinner table in the open dining room. “Where am I gonna sleep? Your couch looks comfortable but I can’t promise that I’ll be able to give it my all if I wake up with a crick in my neck.”</p>
<p>“I have a guest room,” Miruko said, looking amused. Amused was good. It meant he was funny. Maybe?</p>
<p>“Oh, okay, cool,” he nodded, then stopped. “Are you sure that this is an apartment?”</p>
<p>Miruko laughed at him and didn’t answer the question.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Popcorn Ceiling</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It’s 12:30 AM.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Carter stared up at the ceiling. Miruko had a popcorn ceiling, he idly noticed. It was bumpy and uneven and he wanted to reach up and tap it. He also wanted to watch it peel off and fall down in long strips of threes. What kind of hero is Miruko if she has a <em>popcorn ceiling</em>?</p><p>It was dark, darker than he was used to. His window at his house (old, dinky apartment) was always open, street lights shining in and illuminating his room. There was also a faulty light in the bathroom next to his room that flickered on and off occasionally. Mom kept saying she would get it fixed eventually. </p><p>But the darkness here, down in Tokyo, it bathed his room. He could barely make out the popcorn ceiling. There was the tell-tale rumble of cars as they passed once every forty minutes, but the street wasn’t crowded and there was no loud honking. </p><p>Oddly enough, he found the stillness weirder than the bustle that kept him awake at his house. He could count under his breath the time between cars passing and he knew exactly when the big delivery truck would drive by (it’s always ten-thirty unless it’s snowing, then it’s eleven-fifteen). </p><p>He remembered when he was little he always complained about the loud cars outside his window and the bright lights, begging his siblings to switch rooms with him. When Dylan moved out to live with Dad, though, he refused the offer to switch, choosing to remain next to the busy street with the loud cars and bright lights. </p><p>The busy streets always reminded him of his quirk. Loud, bright, but predictable. His quirk was flashy, but he knew exactly what it did, even if what it did was bad sometimes. It also reminded him of Alexa’s quirk.</p><p>Alexa liked to play a game where she would try to use her quirk whenever the loud delivery trucks would pass by. He and Dylan would sit on his bed as Alexa stood up and cheered to the sound of the honking outside. The game stopped when she accidentally broke his window. </p><p>Dylan left soon after and for the longest time Carter thought he left because they couldn’t play the game with Alexa anymore. Dylan left because he was sad, his mom tearfully told him. Dylan didn’t like Japan. He was sad, too, because Alexa stopped playing games with him altogether after that game was banned. He had told her that and she had just shaken her head like he didn’t understand. </p><p>A loud honk sounded and he instinctively got up and walked to the window. Looking out, he saw nothing but darkness. Saw nothing but an empty alleyway. </p><p>“Boring,” he whispered to himself. Walking back to his bed (not <em>his</em> bed, but it is his bed for the week), he checked his phone.</p><p><strong>Carter</strong>: hey! hows the internship so far? <br/>
<em>Read 9:23</em></p><p>Bre still hadn’t responded to his text. He hummed and placed his phone down. She might be asleep, who knows? It’s been several hours now, it’s not like she’s obligated to respond. Maybe she just doesn’t like her internship so far and doesn’t want to talk about it. Or maybe she’s having too much fun.</p><p>Or maybe she just doesn’t wanna talk. Hey, she can do whatever she wants as long as it's not illegal. She’s her own person.</p><p>Her own person that just almost lost an older sibling, he reminded himself. It was the whole reason he had reached out to her and not anybody else.</p><p>Okay, sure, he talked to Destiny after that, but he still reached out to Bre first.</p><p>Maybe he could talk to Miruko about it? She might let him go down to Hosu. Then again, her stance on team-ups is certainly known to not be the best. But, this isn’t really a team-up, is it? It wouldn’t hurt. </p><p>He climbed back into the bed, away from the darkness that crept in through the closed bedroom window, and closed his eyes, resisting the urge to turn on the lamp next to him.</p><p>Bre wasn’t okay, and he wanted to help.</p><p>~~~</p><p>It took an entire day and even a day after that to get the courage to ask Miruko. The entire time they were training, his brain was flying at a million miles per hour, thinking of all the different scenarios where she said no and just dropped his internship entirely.</p><p>Finally, as they were walking out of the warehouse - not alleyway this time - he took a deep breath and tapped on her arm.</p><p>“Yeah?” She asked. “If this is about dinner, no, I’m not cooking.”</p><p>“A-actually-“ he cleared his throat, putting on a confident face- “I wanted to ask if we could go down to Hosu?”</p><p>“Hosu?” Miruko asked. “What, you wanna go fight the hero killer? Sorry squirt, but Stain will punt you.”</p><p>His first thought was why do people keep saying that somebody else is gonna punt me?</p><p>His second is <em>oh shit</em>.</p><p>He stopped dead in his tracks, his breath caught in his lungs. </p><p>Bre, in Hosu. Manuel, whose area of operation is in Hosu. Stain, the hero killer, who’s in Hosu right now. Anaya, Bre’s sibling, who was permanently paralyzed by Stain.</p><p>Bre, who’s been acting off and didn’t take up Kamui Wood’s offer even though he’s her idol. </p><p>She’s trying to defeat Stain. No, she’s trying to <em>kill</em> Stain. </p><p>“We have to go to Hosu!” He blurted out. Miruko startled slightly, surprised by his obvious desperation. “We have to! My friend- my friend, she’s down there! She’s gonna- she’s-“</p><p>“Calm down, squirt,” Miruko ordered, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Slow down, what about your friend.”</p><p>“My friend, her s-sibling was injured by Stain. She’s gonna try to fight him! She’s in Hosu right now!” He said, sounding strained. </p><p>Miruko cursed, “who’s she interning under?”</p><p>“Manual.”</p><p>Miruko nodded, looking like she was considering her options. She eventually took off, stopping slightly to let him catch up.</p><p>“Where are we going?” He asked as he ran next to her.</p><p>“Hosu,” she answered grimly. “I’ve gotta talk to Manual, you talk to your friend.”</p><p>“I might be able to teleport us there,” he offered. </p><p>“Might?”</p><p>“Last time I teleported someone else with me, I threw up, so it’s a fifty-fifty chance that I pass out if I teleport us that far.”</p><p>Miruko slowed down. “What about teleporting us to border between?” She asked slowly.</p><p>He thought for a moment. It’s around a two-hour walk from where they are now, but if he lets it build up...</p><p>“I can do it,” he nodded firmly.</p><p>She stuck out an arm, grinning at him. He grabbed it, feeling his quirk bubble just underneath the surface of his skin. He let it spread to his entire body and eventually to Miruko’s. She visibly stiffened for a split second before relaxing again.</p><p>He took a deep breath. Hosu City, here they come.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Stained</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hosu’s on fire.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was chaos when they arrived. Teleporting to the border made it feel like he had run a mile without stopping. His lungs protested harshly as he forced himself to take slow breaths. </p><p>Heat pressed against his body and he was uncomfortably reminded of the USJ. Never mind that, the entire place was like the USJ. The whole city was on fire. A loud shriek sounded and he flinched back, watching as a winged <em>something</em> flew across the sky.</p><p>“Stick close to me,” Miruko ordered, dropping her normally light tone in favour of a more serious one. “Do you think you can run?”</p><p>Carter panted and shook his head, feeling dizzy. The heat only served to make his vertigo worse.</p><p>“Carter, listen to me closely, alright?” Miruko said. “You are authorized for combat. <em>You are able to fight</em>. But, under no circumstance, should you actually fight. Focus on finding your friend. If you see a villain, you run away. Got it?”</p><p>He nodded, “got it.”</p><p>“Stick to the alleyways and away from the fire.” Miruko pointed at an alleyway next to them. “You have my phone number, if anything happens, I need you to text me and I’ll be right there. I’m repeating: <em>do not engage</em>.”</p><p>“If I find the hero killer?” He asked.</p><p>“Send out your location. I’ll know what you mean.”</p><p>“Shouldn’t you be telling me to stay put?” </p><p>“Squirt, I know you’re not gonna do that. Which is why I’m telling you this. Stay away from the danger, alright?”</p><p>When he nodded again, Miruko took off, bounding away towards the danger. Carter coughed through the smoke and ran into an alleyway.</p><p>Okay, okay, he just needs to think. Where would Bre be?</p><p>The city’s in chaos, which gives her ample time to slip away and try to find the hero killer. She’s obviously going to try and fight Stain, so he needs to think like Stain. Where does he attack?</p><p>The alleyways, duh. They’re like a maze in Hosu, winding and long and dirty and <em>secluded</em>. Perfect for a healthy dose of murder. So, look at alleyways. Presumably away from the heart of the city where it would be harder for a wayward hero to stumble upon him. </p><p>With that in mind, he took off running, straining his ears for any sound that sounded out of place. For any sound of Bre’s voice.</p><p>His feet thudded on the ground as he ran as fast as he could. What if’s ran through his head. What if he was too late? What if she was already dead? What if he got away? What if Carter can’t find them? </p><p>Please, he thought, please don’t let me be too late. </p><p>Muffled shouting made him skid to the side, retracing his steps to a different turn. That shouting - definitely Bre - grew louder and less muffled as he presumably got closer. Then- </p><p>The shouting stopped. It stopped so suddenly it almost gave Carter whiplash. He kept running, though, his legs pounding with each step. </p><p>He ran into an alleyway and almost stopped dead at the sight. </p><p>Bre was on the ground, shaking, with blood pooling under her left arm. Stain, the hero killer, stood above her with his sword raised, poised to stab her through the chest. </p><p>He didn’t stop dead, though, he pressed on and grabbed Bre, teleporting to the other end of the alley. Stain’s sword hit concrete.</p><p>“C-CJ?” Bre asked weakly. “W-what... what are you doing here?!”</p><p>“Saving your stupid ass,” he retorted, standing protectively in front of her.</p><p>“This has nothing to do with you!” Bre nearly shouted. “Th-this is between me and him! Don’t get yourself killed!”</p><p>Carter couldn’t believe his ears. Here Bre was, one of the (secretly) nicest people he’s ever known, and she’s staring at Stain with murder in her eyes. Stain stared back, curiosity in his gaze. </p><p>“Are you joking?” He snapped, pulling out his phone and sending his location, just like Miruko told him to do. He could see out of the corner of his eye another hero, slumped against the alleyway wall. He can’t teleport both of them out. He’d have to stall. “Listen to yourself for a minute! Are you seriously trying to convince me to just stand back and let you die because of your own rage? No, no. I’m gonna save you because you’re my friend and you’re not dying today.”</p><p>“‘I’m gonna save you’,” Stain echoed. “Such a bold claim. Stand aside, child. You don’t want to get involved in this.”</p><p>He narrowed his eyes and shifted his stance into one Miruko had taught him. He wasn’t going to stand aside. No, he was a hero through and through. It doesn’t matter how he got into the hero course, he’s a fucking U.A. student and he’s not letting this asshole kill his friend.</p><p>“Carter Laffitte,” Stain said, his sword in his hand again, not stuck in the concrete anymore. Carter fought back a shiver, the villain knew exactly who he was. It wasn’t surprising, he did get second, but this <em>murderer</em> knows who he is. It’s...unnerving. “The U.A. student with a quirk that harms him.”</p><p>“Wow, glad you did your two-minute google research,” he drawled, surprised to find his voice not shaking. “Know anything else, Whiz Kid? Maybe my favourite colour?”</p><p>“CJ! Run!” Bre hissed as Stain’s eyes narrowed. Maybe not his brightest idea to be snarky to a murderer, but he needed to wait this one out, and if talking gets him the time he needs, then he’ll start going to church every Sunday if that’s what it takes. That kind of got off-topic. Point is: he’ll do anything to keep Stain from finishing the job.</p><p>“I’m not leaving you behind, Bre!” He shouted.</p><p>“This isn’t your fight! This is <em>my</em> fight! Just run away, Carter!” Bre snarled. He looked at her at the use of his first name and instantly wanted to look away. The person laying on the ground wasn’t Bre. </p><p>Bre had the eyes of somebody who wanted to kill. Pure, unbridled hatred replaced the normal mischief. And she was looking at Stain. Their eyes almost matched. Carter wanted to throw up, but he stood his ground.</p><p>“If- if you want to kill Bre,” Carter said, looking back at Stain, “you’ll have to kill me first.”</p><p>“Despite your quirk’s backlash, you have potential, <em>CJ</em>,” Stain said the nickname mockingly, and god if that didn’t make Carter want to skewer him with his own sword. “Leave now and we’ll pretend this never happened.”</p><p>“Not happening,” Carter said flatly, feeling his quirk rest in his palm, the pixels growing steadily. “Like I said, I’d rather die.”</p><p>“Shame,” Stain sighed as he raised his sword. Carter gritted his teeth.</p><p>What did he think at the Sports Festival? Oh, yeah.</p><p>It’s go time.</p>
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